Travelling the world one vegan meal at a time

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Two days ago I was waxing lyrical about my new favourite summer drink: banana almond-milk iced cooler. Except, I realised, as I was rooting through my fridge trying to find some olives to accompany a day-old enchilada, I could make it better.

But how to make a frozen, creamy, luxurious, iced banana beverage better, I hear you cry? Well how you make all things better-by adding peanut butter! I’ve been after a post-gym recovery drink for some time and this seems to hit the nail on the head.

As a vegan, I struggle to put away enough protein sometimes, especially in the summer when every day sees me cycling 15 miles along London’s busy roads, plus a trip to the gym and the pool as well. Tofu is expensive here, and beans and pulses just don’t cry summer weather to me. So I look for my protein in peanuts, which I sprinkle on salads, add to cold soups, and put in curries.

Peanut butter is a great healer (seriously, I eat the stuff by the spoonful, hence the need to do all the physical exercise…) and there is none more exciting than “Peanut Butter & Co’s Dark Chocolate Dreams.” I bought mine at Wholefoods Market in Kensington but if you can’t find any I imagine a scoop of your favourite crunchy or smooth nut butter plus some cocoa powder will do the job just as well. If you use plain peanut butter and cocoa powder, you might find you need to add whatever your favourite sweetener is to it (I use agave syrup, but I imagine maple would be incredible), or it could be a bit bitter.

Simply follow the recipe for the banana almond milk drink, and omit the honey/agave for the chocolate peanut butter.

Oh wow. Baby it’s hot out there. I just spent two hours playing netball in direct sunlight and cycling to and from the court. Even after my cold shower, I’m still a little puddle of melted human.

So I thought about popping out to the local coffee shop and spending £3 on an iced coffee (especially after reading this article from Buzz Feed about iced coffee). And then I remembered I’d frozen some old bananas to use in a smoothie. What I wanted, really wanted, is some decadent, post-training protein, sweet, fruit hit.

So I tipped some frozen banana, ice cubes, almond milk and some agave syrup into the blender and whizzed it together for a minute or two. What followed was a thick, frozen milkshake, almost like ice-cream.

At first I used a spoon but then, as the icy liquid melted I just tipped it it down. The best post-sport snack or just hot-day treat. And it’s *probably* healthy as well…

Ingredients

One cup of almond (or soy) milk

One cup of ice cubes

One and a half frozen bananas

A squirt of agave syrup (or a teaspoon of honey, depending on veganism)

Method:

Pour it all into the blender and….blend!

If you want it to be runnier, add a bit more almond milk, but if you’re after a thick creamy milkshake, stick with the measurements outlined above!